Violência colonial e testemunho: Para uma memória pós-abissal

Abstract

The silencing of the Portuguese Colonial War/Wars of Liberation (1961-1974) is one of the cornerstones of the post-imperial, democratic reconstruction of Portuguese society. Based on an extensive collection of life stories from disabled war veterans, this article analyses the struggles for meaning that these narratives convey. It seeks to understand, on the one hand, the terms of the confrontation between a memory of violence that is bodily inscribed and the denial of colonial violence in the common sense of democratic Portugal; and on the other, how the notion of an unjust and avoidable war, which became increasingly ingrained after it was over, creates a paradox for those who, having been part of the aggressor force, are represented as victims.

Keywords

• Colonial War
• colonialism
• disabled war veterans
• memory
• violence